Somewhere in Aspen, Colo., in that undisclosed location where Dwight Howard escaped to clear his head and make up his mind, the truth will emerge.

The big man who has stolen the spotlight for so long will finally decide his fate, be it to join the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers or — no, let's stop there. The Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks are among the teams dying to know as well, of course, but the events of the last 24 hours have sent strong signs that their respective candidacy has likely come to an end.

Elsewhere, however, chaos ensues. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Warriors have been given indications within the last day that the Houston Rockets are the strong favorite to land Howard. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the talks.

The backdrop that surrounds the Warriors, however, tells a different tale. Having been given the impression in recent days that they were in Howard's top three, with the Rockets and Lakers likely the other two, the Warriors went to work attempting to clear salary cap space with a vision in mind that's even grander than one what was initially assumed.

The notion of clearing space to sign Howard outright isn't the only plan in play, as free agent small forward Andre Iguodala has serious interest in joining the Warriors even without Howard. He has been seen as a possible cherry on top of their recruiting efforts to get the big man. It's their version of the Rockets' plan that is also in play, with free agent forward Josh Smith considered the third star in the sort of scenario that both teams hope could win his affection.

If they could convince a team to take contracts like those attached to Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson (a combined $20 million in expiring salaries next season) and others, Iguodala could be signed and possibly tip the scales on Howard's decision. Should he pick them, they would then do a sign-and-trade with a Lakers team that would face the prospect of losing him for nothing if they don't cooperate with the Warriors and, hypothetically speaking, see Howard head to Houston instead.The timing factor in play here is beyond problematic at this point, as Howard's decision was widely expected to come today and the Warriors have yet to find a new home for those players.

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We've got plenty of player movement. Brandon Jennings and J.J. Redick are no longer Bucks, and more. USA TODAY Sports' Sean Highkin ranks the top 20 free agents for this offseason, and we discuss where they landed.
Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports

1. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers point guard. CP3 ended his free agency July 1, agreeing to a five-year, $107 million deal with the Clippers. Paul can opt out of the final year of the contract.
Spruce Derden, USA TODAY Sports

7. Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz center. Jefferson's rebounding and ability to play both frontcourt positions made him one of the most attractive big men on the market, so the Bobcats gave him a three-year, $41 million deal.
Russ Isabella, USA TODAY Sports

8. Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks point guard. A lightning-quick guard with a knack for creative passing, Teague signed a four-year, $32 million offer sheet with the Bucks but will stay with the Hawks after Atlanta matched the restricted free agent's deal.
Howard Smith, USA TODAY Sports

9. Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks point guard. The Bucks decided against paying Jennings, so they sent him to the Pistons in a sign-and-trade deal worth three years and $24 million to Jennings.
Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports

11. Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia 76ers center. If healthy, Bynum is a top-five center. Unfortunately, "if healthy" is a pretty big caveat these days for a player who missed all of 2012-13. He signed a two-year deal with the Cavaliers.
Howard Smith, USA TODAY Sports

13. Kevin Martin, Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard. Martin filled in ably for James Harden after the Thunder's blockbuster trade. One season later, Martin and the Timberwolves reached a four-year deal that could be worth up to $30 million.
Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports

15. J.J. Redick, Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard. Redick is durable, versatile, a great shooter, a good passer and a solid defender — in other words, the ideal target for any team looking for a sixth man. The Clippers landed him for four years and $27 million in a sign-and-trade.
Douglas Jones, USA TODAY Sports

17. Monta Ellis, Milwaukee Bucks guard. Ellis can shoot his team into a game or out of it. The Mavericks signed him to a three-year, $28 million contract, USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick reported.
Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports

18. Corey Brewer, Denver Nuggets swingman. Brewer proved himself a solid defender and scorer off the bench and should help the Timberwolves, with whom he signed for three years and $15 million.
Chris Humphreys, USA TODAY Sports

19. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings guard. The former rookie of the year has had a few disappointing seasons in Sacramento, but like O.J. Mayo, he may simply need a change of scenery. He landed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Pelicans via trade.
Brett Davis, USA TODAY Sports

20. Nate Robinson, Chicago Bulls guard. A terrific year —more importantly, a terrific playoffs — wasn't enough to encourage any team to overpay Robinson, but he agreed to a two-year deal worth a combined $4.03 million with the Nuggets.
Ed Szczepanski, USA TODAY Sports

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But this much is clear: Iguodala remains a possibility only if those deals can be made, as his former Denver Nuggets team strongly rebuffed the idea of cooperating in a sign-and-trade with a Warriors team that upset them in the first round of the playoffs, and the Rockets are clearly worried about the threat the Warriors pose to land Howard.

All signs point to that fear being unfounded at this point. And should the Rockets win these sweepstakes as has been expected for so long, the Warriors will go down as the team that pushed its way into the top three after Houston and the Lakers were running a two-horse race.

Warriors consultant and Lakers legend Jerry West was in the room during Howard's meeting with the Warriors, putting the most fascinating of spins on his story if he should shock the world and follow the Logo's light. Coach Mark Jackson was compelling and convincing as always, and the clear fondness that Howard has for Warriors star Stephen Curry is coming into play too.

The Lakers always loom large, too, even with the long list of reasonable concerns he has with coming back. He is still being reminded of what they and they alone can offer beyond the extra year and $30 million on a contract, the history of championships and the chance to take the reigns from Kobe Bryant in their next era.

It's a one-of-a-kind market, the Lakers told him, the only place where he can have the best on-court career and unmatched business opportunities after his playing days are over.

It may have been an ominous sign when the Lakers had actor Jack Nicholson join the parade of celebrities trying to influence Howard's decision, what with the truth that they may be forced to handle sometime soon. The wait continues, but it should be over soon. It's time to wake up from this "Dwightmare" for good.

Howard developed his rebounding skill at an early age, averaging a double-double as a 19-year-old rookie. He led the NBA in rebounds per game four times in his final five seasons with the Magic.
Eric Gay, AP

Before being beset by injuries in recent seasons, Howard was one of the most reliable big men in the NBA. He played all 82 games in each of his first four seasons and only missed seven in his first seven combined.
Paul Connors, AP

Shaquille O'Neal didn't shown much respect to Howard as a player and still doesn't as an analyst. Both were No. 1 picks by the Magic who then went to the Lakers, both centers known for their strength and athleticism, both Superman enthusiasts.
Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports

The Magic brought back Hedo Turkoglu in 2011 with hopes of keeping Howard, but they never quite found the same page they had been on during their five seasons together from 2004 through 2009.
Chuck Burton, AP

After months of speculation, the Magic dealt Howard to the Lakers in a four-team August 2012 trade. The Lakers gave up center Andrew Bynum for him, while the Magic received a package of players including former 76ers center Nikola Vucevic and Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports

Howard signed with the Rockets in the 2013 offseason after rejecting the Lakers and several other suitors. One reason was James Harden, the promising shooting guard whom he pairs so well with.
Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports